The Light of My Life

Function AND beauty; that’s right!  My new obsession is the ever useful lamp.  As a designer I know the necessity of ambient lighting in setting the tone of a room.  These lamps don’t just set the tone, they set the bar!

BCL Ram Horns Table Lamp

Cyan Tortoise Shell Table Lamp

Arteriors Cassidy Orange Porcelain Lamp

Currey and Co Alfresco Table Lamp

Cyan Traditional Table Lamp

Arteriors Kaleigh Citron Reactive Ceramic/Acrylic Lamp

 BCL Boy and Girl Lamps

Arteriors Dragon Porcelain/Acrylic Lamp

Cyan Driftwood Table Lamp

BCL Pheasant in Porcelain Lamp

Regina Andrew Falt Urn Crystal Lamp

Marty Boyle, Interior Designer

Struck Gold!

Gold is back and beautiful.  We have seen our ups and downs with “good ole” gold.  Jewelry went platinum, light fixtures went chrome and hardware went nickel.  As we all know, gold can infer old traditional, and brassy hues can look dated.   But it is back and better than ever.  You would think you’ve struck gold with some of these pieces. . .

Arteriors Forest Park Distressed Gold Iron Floor Lamp

Regina Andrew Metal Patterned Pendent Fixture

Arteriors Dorchester Iron/Marble/Glass Bar Table

 

Ricci Silversmiths Flatware

Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams  VANDYKE 3 DRAWER CHEST

Arteriors Cinchwaist Gold Iron/Mirror Tray

Cyan Bamboo Tray Table

Global Views Twig Electrified Wall Sconce-Brass on Brass w/Bronze Shade

Arteriors Cooper Gold Leaf Iron Lamp

Paragon 4 Foot Golden Flower Petals

Marty Boyle, Interior Design

Gingers Are In!

Unfortunately, I am not talking about the queried beauty of the red head.  I say "unfortunately" because I come from a long line of them.  No, I am talking about Ginger Jars!  Their exquisite proportions have long been loved.  In this age where old is new again, take a look at these spectacular pieces that give gingers a bright future!

A New Take on the Blue and White Ginger Jar -

                                                            Emilia Ceramics Ginger Jar


A Pop of Pink -

                                                                     Luca and Eve


Go Big or Go Home -

                                                                      DecorPad


Chevron is in too!! -

Emilia Ceramics

A Little Bit of Detail -

                                                           Global Views Ginger Jars

And a Little Bit of Pattern -

Dana Gibson

Always a Classic -

Ethan Allen Ginger Jar

 - Marty Boyle, Interior Designer

Just Don't Do It. . . Please!

In my many years of experience in the design field I have come across quite a few things that countless people try in their homes that just boggle my mind.  Out of all those bizarre attempts at enhancing one’s home, it is surprising how many of them are staging “techniques.”  Here are three of the top staging don’ts that are done way too often.

Place Settings

Come on, I am all about table-scapes (a well thought out decorative display on a table), but this just looks like the owner’s trying too hard.   A well-staged home should look like it isn’t staged at all.  The home should look as if it is clean, kept up and, of course, stunning, without much effort at all. Who wouldn’t want a home like that?!  The place settings are a dead giveaway the home is being setup to look better than it may. 

Everything is on an Angle

Don’t get me wrong; certain furniture pieces look great on angles in certain places, but every furniture piece on an angle in every room is just bizarre!  I am not sure how this trend came about in the Staging field, but I would love to see it go.  Let’s take a bed, for example.  Often times angling a bed in a room actually makes the room look smaller due to the wasted space created behind it.   As many artists know, horizontal lines are calming, vertical lines come across as strong, and lines at an angel are jarring and grab attention.   This being said, furniture on an angel grabs attention.  We want the room to grab the attention, not the furniture.

Wrong scale

  

Often enough, people are selling vacant homes, or homes with rooms without any furniture.  To these sellers I must advise, it is far better to keep a room empty than have the wrong scale pieces in it.  A significant goal in staging is to help the buyer visualize what could be.   If you are choosing to do this by adding distractions that the buyer would never chose to place in their home, you are missing the point.  Honestly, I think the examples speak for themselves.  Would you decorate your dining and living room like this?

Marty Boyle ,
Interior Designer